In response to the Government’s Week of War, peace action groups are coordinating a Week of Peace in Auckland.

"Our week of peace is designed bring together individuals, groups, associations, not for profits and businesses that would like to to send a clear message to the Government and the New Zealand defence industry that a Weapons Expo and Warship visit is not acceptable."

Please review the events and register for the event(s) you would like to attend.

Sunday 13th Nov: Non-violent Direct Action Training:These training sessions will help people to prepare for the blockade with discussions around tactics, role-plays, legal information and safety info. 2pm at Trades Hall, 147 Great North RoadMonday 14th Nov: Non-violent Direct Action Training:These training sessions will help people to prepare for the blockade with discussions around tactics, role-plays, legal information and safety info. 6pm at Trades Hall, 147 Great North RoadTuesday 15th Nov:Dr. Helen Caldicott speaksNobel Peace Prize Nominee Dr. Helen Caldicott, the world’s foremost anti-nuclear activist and researcher speaks at 7:30pm, at the Auckland University of Technology. Hosted by the Peace Foundation.

Wednesday 16th: Blockade the Arms Trade!Actively oppose the arms trade by the blockading the Weapons Expo. There are spaces for people who wish to actively blockade as well as space for support and family-friendly creative resistance. Check out the Facebook event for full details.

Thursday 17th: WALL of NOISE – Drown out the Death Merchants.Bring your best noisemakers, instruments, banners and placards to drown out the weapons dealers’ party and awards ceremony happening inside. Evening. Check out the Facebook event for more details

Peace Flotilla: Time & place TBAJoin up with a boat, kayak, surfboard or your body to resist the warships coming into Auckland Harbour. Details confirmed closer to the day.

Sunday 20th: Peace Ships, NOT Warships! 1pm @ the CloudWe’ll be having a peace picnic in the midst of the Navy birthday celebration reminding everyone that war is not a celebration bring banners, picnic stuff and other peace materials.

Booking essential for both events for catering purposes. No charge for lecture, Study Day $20 (pay on the day). Light refreshments provided including lunch on Saturday. Book with barfoots or phone 575-6142. Arranged by N.Z Christian Network, Aotearoa New Zealand Peace and Conflict Studies Centre Trust, Pax Christi and Anglican Pacifist Fellowship.

Unite Union is happy to announce they have reached agreement with Scenic Circle and Holiday Inn to End Zero Hour contracts at their hotels.

After Unite's widely successful End Zero Hours campaign the law changed earlier in 2016 to outlaw zero hour contracts with a one year grace period ending in 2017. This new law means employers must give a minimum number of guaranteed hours to employees, and if employees are required to be available then they must receive compensation for their time.

The law is brand new and through constructive negotiations the hotels and the union have managed to successfully reach an arrangement that ends zero hour contracts, providing workers with guaranteed weekly hours.

The new Collective Agreement is already in place at Scenic Circle, and the Holiday Inn agreement is expected to be in place in the next week or two.

Press release: 28 Oct 2016

Unite Union’s elected worker’s executive recently passed a motion demanding that the NZ Super Fund withdraw all investments (divests) from the coal, oil and gas projects that are driving climate change. Unite joins climate action group 350 Aotearoa, several NGOs, faith groups and other unions in making this call. [1]

The NZ Super Fund has since responded, failing to commit to divesting from fossil fuels, instead announcing that [it] will simply talk to fossil fuel companies about the issue, as if that is going to make any difference.

Last year, over a hundred unite union delegates voted to adopt a climate justice policy that affirmed our union’s support for calls to leave the world’s remaining fossil fuel resources untouched. [2] That call has been soberly validated in a recent study by Oil Change International that recommended that no new infrastructure should be developed if we are to have any chance of avoiding catastrophic climate change.

“By signing on to this open letter Unite Union is recognising low paid workers in precarious work are the most vulnerable and least responsible for causing climate change. Low income earners and people who are economically vulnerable are the least resilient to economic, energy and weather-related shocks that are coming down the line.”, said Gary Cranston, Unite Union’s climate justice spokesperson.

“We understand that this burden will fall first and foremost on vulnerable people and Unite Union members don’t want their savings used to create an insecure future for them. That is the opposite of what our our Super Fund is meant for.”, said Mr Cranston.

“Ninety per cent of staff at the New Zealand Super Fund are on six-figure pay-packets and while they may not be worried about the impacts of climate change as a consequence, we certainly are.”, said Paseka Afaese, who works at a McDonald’s restaurant in West Auckland [3]. Ms Afaese’s family are familiar with environmental disaster after their home town of Lalomauga in Samoa was levelled by a tsunami in 2009. [4]

“While their wealth will insulate them from climate impacts, people on low wages who are reliant on future income security from their Super Fund won’t have that protection.”, said Mr Cranston.

“Donating our retirement savings to companies that are destroying our future has got to stop. In fact, if we are to secure a safe and healthy future for our communities and whanau we must reverse this trend. That money could be invested in projects that support a Just (fair) Transition: A fair pathway to protect the climate, and our future’s.”, said Gary Cranston.

McDonalds committed to Unite last year that all their workers being guaranteed at least 80% of their usual hours each week. We are asking McDonalds to confirm that they will honour this agreement with Ronald. The creepy clown craze is not Ronald’s fault and he should not have to go back to a zero hours contract and suffer because of it.”

A tax expert is calling for an overhaul of the way we treat white collar criminals compared to benefit fraudsters.

Victoria University of Wellington Associate Professor of Taxation, Lisa Marriott, wants to see an independent inquiry undertaken into our justice system, further to her research highlighting the extent to which tax evaders are largely let off the hook, while benefit fraudsters are chased down and forced to repay every cent they’ve swindled.

She says $1.24 billion of tax was evaded in 2014, while just $33.55 million of welfare payments were defrauded.

“Today New Zealand mourns the loss of union leader Helen Kelly. She was a fighter who died after a battle with cancer.

Helen died too young, and will always be remembered in our hearts, minds and on the frontlines of the fight for everyday working people.

Helen lived her commitment to fairness and justice every day. She was generous, creative, innovative, inspired and determined. She dreamed big and worked hard – and we’re a better country for her achievements.